Editing First Fleet (section)

==History==
[[John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich|Lord Sandwich]], together with the President of the [[Royal Society]], Sir [[Joseph Banks]], the eminent scientist who had accompanied Lieutenant [[James Cook]] on his [[First voyage of James Cook|1770 voyage]], was advocating establishment of a British colony in [[Botany Bay]], [[New South Wales]].{{sfn|Frost|Moutinho|1995|p=110}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gascoigne |first=John |title=Science in the service of empire: Joseph Banks, the British state and the uses of science in the age of revolution|date=1998|isbn=0-521-55069-6|location=Cambridge, UK |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=187 |oclc=39524807}}</ref> Banks accepted an offer of assistance from the American [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalist]] [[James Matra]] in July 1783. Under Banks's guidance, he rapidly produced "A Proposal for Establishing a Settlement in New South Wales" (24 August 1783), with a fully developed set of reasons for a colony composed of American Loyalists, Chinese and South Sea Islanders (but not convicts).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carter|first=Harold B.|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/936496|title=Interpreting Australia: British Perceptions of Australia since 1788|publisher=Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies|year=1988|editor-last=Delamothe|editor-first=Tony|location=London|pages=4–23|chapter=Banks, Cook and the Century Natural History Tradition|editor-last2=Bridge|editor-first2=Carl|access-date=18 July 2021|archive-date=29 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529200901/http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/936496|url-status=live}}</ref> The decision to establish a colony in Australia was made by [[Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney|Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney]], Secretary of State for the Home Office.<ref name="HistNSWgovPhillip1">{{cite web |author1=George Burnett Barton |title=History of New South Wales From the Records, Volume I – Governor Phillip – Chapter 1.4 |url=http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks12/1204171h.html#ch-07 |website=Project Gutenberg of Australia |publisher=Charles Potter, Government Printer |access-date=25 April 2019 |year=1889}}</ref> This was taken for two reasons: the ending of [[Penal transportation|transportation of criminals]] to North America following the [[American Revolution]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Why were convicts transported to Australia|publisher=Sydney Living Museums|access-date=16 December 2013|url=http://www.hht.net.au/discover/highlights/kids_fact_sheets/why_were_convicts_transported_to_australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222157/http://www.hht.net.au/discover/highlights/kids_fact_sheets/why_were_convicts_transported_to_australia|archive-date=2 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> as well as the need for a base in the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] to counter [[French colonial empire|French expansion]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Cameron-Ash |first=Margaret |author-link= |date=2021 |title=Beating France to Botany Bay: The race to found Australia |url=https://quadrant.org.au/product/beating-france-to-botany-bay-the-race-to-found-australia/ |location=Balmain |publisher=Quadrant Books |page= |isbn=9780648996125}}</ref>

In September 1786, Captain [[Arthur Phillip]] was appointed [[Commodore (Royal Navy)|Commodore]] of the fleet, which came to be known as the First Fleet, which was to transport the convicts and soldiers to establish a colony at Botany Bay. Upon arrival there, Phillip was to assume the powers of [[Captain General]] and [[Governor of New South Wales|Governor in Chief]] of the new [[Colony of New South Wales|colony]]. A subsidiary colony was to be founded on [[Norfolk Island]], as recommended by Sir [[John Call]] and Sir [[George Young (Royal Navy officer)|George Young]], to take advantage for naval purposes of that island's native flax ([[harakeke]]) and timber.<ref name="Atkinson">{{Cite journal|last=Atkinson|first=Alan|date=1990-04-01|title=The first plans for governing New South Wales, 1786–87|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/10314619008595830|journal=Australian Historical Studies|volume=24|issue=94|pages=22–40|doi=10.1080/10314619008595830|s2cid=143682560 |issn=1031-461X|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>‘Memo. of matters to be brought before Cabinet’, State Library of New South Wales, Dixon 12Library Add. MS Q522</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=King|first=Robert J.|title=Norfolk Island: Phantasy and Reality, 1770-1814|year=2003|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41563142|journal=The Great Circle|volume=25|issue=2|pages=20–41|jstor=41563142|issn=0156-8698}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63477180|title=Historic Landmarks|newspaper =[[Townsville Daily Bulletin]]|location=Qld.|date=2 October 1952|access-date=22 January 2012|page=5|publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60569425|title=Australian Discovery and Colonisation|work=[[Empire (newspaper)|The Empire]]|location=Sydney|date=14 April 1865|page=8|publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

The cost to Britain of outfitting and dispatching the Fleet was £84,000 (about £{{Inflation|UK|0.084|1786|cursign=£}}&nbsp;million or US${{International dollars|{{Inflation|UK|0.084|1786}}|GBR}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}).{{Inflation/fn|UK}}{{sfn|O'Brien|1970|p=195}}